For amateurs , they will definitely be more interested in the style that it is done in rather than the lessons it's trying to teach , since the art is fairly high quality for the role it plays . Amateurs haven't yet developed their own style to its fullest , most professional potential , and so books about fighting and so on will be of no use to them if they can't yet correctly draw their characters in said poses .
The inevitable result is copying and learning very little from it - which is even worse with the books about drawing specific types of people . You CANNOT learn to draw from second-hand information - especially stylised second hand information . That's someone else's interpretation , and you have to find your own .
All of the How to Draw Manga books are purely circumstancial , and if you ever decide to lean towards a less stylised art more than the big-eye-small-mouth manga as I did , you'll probably find that everything these books ' taught ' you is a complete waste . The books about sexy girls - where even the woman on the cover is entirely disproportionate - will go for nothing .
There is nothing these books can teach you that you couldn't get from going out in the street and drawing it yourself , or getting enrolled in a life drawing class . Maybe it's not as thrilling to draw a portly old lady reclining in a chair for forty minutes , but at least you can guarantee your drawing will improve on things you personally enjoy in your spare time .
This book , even though it talks about fighting , is entirely the same . Go and flip through some action manga - and some action art that isn't stylised . See how it's done in the different ways , find out what you like the most , and combine elements until you have something of your own . Take some photos of you and your mates pulling funny poses and blurry punching motions . Leave it on a long exposure if you want to see the full movement . Buy a freaking karate book with real people pulling all the funny moves . Buy a book on basic human and animal locomotion . There's so many other better options , and you can guarantee that even if your style changes , these books and references will change to accomodate . They'll never stop teaching you lessons .
I think the fact that they have a full section at the end about girls fighting in school outfits should cement my argument . Because , you know , what kind of artist would you be if you couldn't draw knickers and skirts that flare up at the drop of a hat ?
001 4 I started taking martial arts a couple of years ago just to help my cartoon characters learn to fight in a realistic way . . . this book can save you a couple steps ( and dollars ! )
Beautiful pictures , very helpful , but I would not recommend this as a how to draw book for beginners . . . it's not good with ' step by step ' stuff . If you can already draw , and want to figure out how to lay out ' speed lines ' and dynamic action scenes , then this is a very good book for you !
This book has shown me many moves I already know , but it puts it in an artists perspective , something my martial arts teacher lacks . . . It also has many other things I didn't know , it covers many styles of fighting .
Being a Japanese release , it also has a big Girls in Sailor School Uniforms Fighting chapter , very helpful if you are drawing girls fighting in Sailor School uniforms . ( ? ! ) You have to love Manga to have an appreciation for that . . . heehee .
In short , you don't have to sign up for Martial Arts lessons to learn how to draw realistic fighting scenes . . . this book WILL help . ( I will continue to take my classes though ! )
The other books in this series are wonderful , as well , I can't wait for them to release more !
002 4 This is by no means a beginners book . You'll want to start with the Compiling Characters book to start . By the time you have the basic techniques down , then this book will help . The four star rating is a bit misleading , let me tell you why . The art in the book is great . It does a great job in showing you how to make fight scenes look dynamic . How different styles of hitting are used in comedic and hard-boiled action . But as si the problem with earlier translated versions , sometimes the language comes off as stiff . It reads as if you're listening to a stereotype Japanese speaking engrish . As a result sometimes the descriptions aren't as good as the should be . Other than that this is another great book to add to your How to Draw collection .
003 4 This book is one of a large series of books , and is not for beginners . It doesn't provide a step-by-step guide for drawing , and if you are a beginner I suggest searching for the first three books in the series . The guidelines and pictures provided in the book are very helpful , however . It covers many different forms of fighting , how to show a character dodging or being hit , jumping , tired or defeated characters , and an entire section devoted to fighting girls in sailor suits . Be warned , there is a bit of nudity to provide outlines for the characters , but it is fairly mild . The translation can be a bit choppy in placed , which is why I gave it four stars , but the illustrations are very helpful . Check it out if you want to draw manga !
004 4 This book is great ! It has pictures and scenes worth it all . Although this book is great , you need to be a pretty experienced drawer . And what i mean is you have to have experience with drawing characters and their details . Like hair , and eyes , and the way there body is shaped . The book does not include how to draw a character . Just battle positions . But it sure is a great book for all your favorite fighting needs
005 4 This book is great for anyone trying to figure out just how the body looks durring a fight . I have found it not only useful in drawing comics but also using it for drawing realistic fight illustrations .
I agree that it is not for the beginner , but anyone with a little experience drawing anatomy from books or life will be able to get a lot out of this book . It covers the physics of fighting very well in the actions of the attacker and the reactions of the one being attacked .
I found the school girl fighting part amusing , although if I were a guy I probably would have spent more time in that section of the book . : )
I feel that this is better book than Hart's manga how to book because it really gets in to the physics and the perspective instead of just spending one or two pages on these subjects as Hart's book does .
006 4 Maybe I'm a bit biased but I don't really draw a lot of fight scenes . However having this book I do know it instructs about all forms of battle scenes and about how the characters respond to attacks from an opponent ( all things that make the drawing more believable ) . There is a section on doing the ever-popular Seifuku ( Japanese school uniform ) battles ( the key is in the movement of the skirt ) . I still recommend this book , particular for people who want to draw lots of battle scenes .
007 4 This book has everything you need to make your manga battle scenes great ! It has awesome pictures , filled with speed lines , super-kicks , mega-punches , and girls in sailor suits ! ( yea ! ! ) The only real problem with this book is that it doesn't tell you how to illustrate the battles . It just gives tons of examples to go by . But , other than that it's really cool !
008 4 More then anything , this book is a reference to various battle moves from major battles to the lesser slap scenes . Hayashi gives a lot of examples from different perspectives , angles , and methods of doing the same attack like punches , kicks , throws , and even dodging . He even covered bruises , rips , getting up , and crouches .
The examples are practically all hand-to-hand combat . If you're into weapons , you could use the examples and substitute it for weapons but visually , you'll probably have a harder time putting it together .
This book is more for the experienced artist who is already familiar with anatomy and as mentioned earlier , this book is for reference . It doesn't provide you with any step-by-step instructions , just pointers .
009 4 This is the sort of reference book made for people who already have a grasp of human body drawing basics . This is made more to build up from those basics , to show you what a body in action looks like . It also gives a lot of Japanese names for things ( like mukoozune - - kicking someone in the shins ) . For a nice touch , not every scene depicted is totally serious appearing ; there are several little goofy looking action scenes , true to the anime nature . A good buy for the beginning artist who wishes to build their skills .
010 4 This book is a lot oof help to those who can't quite get down the body formations of battle scenes . I myself needed a lot of help and this book helped out a lot . Took quite a while to get it shipped to me , but it was worth it !
012 4 This book is a book for people who have experience drawing characters . I found it useful as I have problems drawing battles and stuff , but I found that it could have been better had they included , step-by-step , how to draw the characters . The only other thing that bothered me was the illustrations for Having Your Doors Blown Off , Being Hurled Against Something . Is it so hard to put a frickin ' bra on the women ? I mean , they have underwear , why not a bra or shirt ? But , all in all , its an excellent book .
013 4 I love this book , it is everything I was looking for and more ! !
It shows you so many different kinds of moves , and how to make them look the way you want . From kicks , punches , throws , grabs . . . aswell as showing how the attacker and the character being attacked should look , before , during , and after a move . I must say , I was very impressed with this book , I would definetly suggest this book to anyone interested in drawing manga or anime . I don't think there is a thing I would change , it gets 5 stars .
014 4 Those are the first words you'll say when you open this spactacular book . Hikaru Hayashi has packed this book full of everything you could ever want in a battle scene . I have drawn battle scenes in my own comics but they never had that edge . Now that I have this book I find myself nolonger nervous of stressed when drawing fight scenes . Fight scenes are an important part to any action comic / manga . This is a must have for any beginner or even a serious amature hopeing to get some pointers . This book will definately help your comics / manga kick a * * .
016 4 If you're worried about nudity , then don't get the book . It should be noted , however , that most shounen genre ( which has a lot of action / hero comics ) , has a lot of this vile stuff . Although the base is changing , most of their readers are teen boys , and they do something called a little fan service .
Beginners may want to wait before getting this , or hold on to it if they already own it . It's a fairly good book on illustrating battle and fighting , and I have yet to see another book that does as well on the subject .
017 4 I am a person who , has the talent to draw well , likes to draw , but has some trouble drawing Manga-style . These books , from the batch I ordered , are pretty helpful , you just have to add your talent and practise and you will equal a good artist .
I ordered this book from this website and I was not disapointed . This is a great and unigue book.I don't think there might be anything like it or close to it again ( except probably for HTDM martial arts and cmbat sorts ) but I haven't read that book yet .
This book show you almast everything you need . . . from different types of punches to different and kicks and their effect depending on which part of the body it hits ( This is very important and I never got this right before I got this book ) to grabbing , throwing and detaining someone . There is even a part showing how to draw different slaps . To the end it shows how to draw sailor scout uniform battle ( in other words girls battling in their school uniform ) .
There is alot of information packed into this book . Most of the characters are not drawn perfect like in some other HTDM books so you can easily apply the techniques from here to your own original characters but don't expect to learn how to draw a character from this book because this book is just for fighting reference !
This book is a must have for anyone who want to learn how to draw fight scenes with manga characters or anything else along that line .
I will also recommend this for the general manga artist who is still unsure what to draw next .
018 4 Book came in perfect condition . The only reason I give it 4 stars and not 5 is because I think it could have been thicker , displaying more possibilities and examples on what could happen during a fight . Still did cover a lot though . Keep in mind that the book is also meant mainly for people who can already draw bodies and characters well .
019 4 This review is from :
How to Draw Manga : Illustrating Battles ( Paperback )
I looked forward to getting this book after I first ordered it .
But to tell the truth , this book is just a giant reference . Dont you hate it when that happens .
I mean , its always good to have a reference on hand , when you know what you are doing . But even if
you are an expert , its a good idea to surround yourself with something you can always look back on and
learn from .
So this book is good if you want to copy someoneelse's work , but if you are original then keep looking .
020 4 I looked forward to getting this book after I first ordered it .
But to tell the truth , this book is just a giant reference . Dont you hate it when that happens .
I mean , its always good to have a reference on hand , when you know what you are doing . But even if
you are an expert , its a good idea to surround yourself with something you can always look back on and
learn from .
So this book is good if you want to copy someoneelse's work , but if you are original then keep looking .
021 4 This book is definitely not for beginners . I recommend this for skilled or somewhat intermediate artists .
This book is good as a reference and nothing more . I wouldn't call this book instructive at all . The How to Draw Manga title is misleading . How to Draw implies instruction this book is more of a reference than instructional .
022 4 This book is great if you already know how to draw manga but need to know how to illustrate battle scenes . Me , having only drawn manga for a year didn't find this book very helpful . If I was more experiened I'm sure this book would have been a lot more handy . Don't get this book unless you already know how to draw manga .
023 4 This book is so good at showing you the art of battle . Of course it is hard to rely on this book alone , you should start on the basics but this book definatly helped me to heighten the fun of my manga .
024 4 This book is the best how to draw book that I own . I use it every day and my drawing has improved greatly thanks to it . If you are just starting to pick up the art of manga or it you are an experienced artist , this is the book for you .
There is a huge variety of moves that this book discusses and it gives you pointers on how to make them look great . Overall this book teaches you everything you need to know about illustrating battles .
025 4 I have the Japanese version of this book , and by the pictures alone I tell you this book is awesome ! It shows you so many ways of illustrating moves , and gets you into the mood for drawing action . Now that I know the English version is out I will have to get it just to see what advice they give !
026 4 This was one of the most helpful books I've read . An art teacher couldn't of taught me how to draw better then this book did . It shows you how to illustrate kicks , punches , slaps , defense moves , where the wrinkles / rips in the clothes should be and which way the victim would move . I enjoy just looking at the well-drawn pictures sometimes . This book is worth any penny , and could help any aspiring artist .
028 4 This book is for more advanced artists wishing to expand their skills to fight scenes . It shows both battle technique of various styles and the resulting injuries given . It is particularly useful in that it doesn't hold one's hand , but just give guidelines and examples .
029 4 I depend very heavily on the information in this book . I used it to help with fight illustrations in Dragon Nightmares .
Jam Foster
030 4 I think this book would prove useful for flash animators . If you want to animate some cool fight sequences this book will provide a good reference . The art being fresh and inspiring to artists and animators a like enjoy .
031 4 I'm in the proces of making my own comicbook and this book helped me alot , for a person who never took a figure drawing class this book is great . It captures excelent posses and some odd junk.This book is realy good and I'm a picky moe foe and i like it aloooot.ok I hope this was helpfull to you cus i realy have to go to the bathroom , but I typed this long paragraph .
032 4 This book would be absolutely worthless to an amateur - and probably the majority of advanced artists . And here's why :
For amateurs , they will definitely be more interested in the style that it is done in rather than the lessons it's trying to teach , since the art is fairly high quality for the role it plays . Amateurs haven't yet developed their own style to its fullest , most professional potential , and so books about fighting and so on will be of no use to them if they can't yet correctly draw their characters in said poses .
The inevitable result is copying and learning very little from it - which is even worse with the books about drawing specific types of people . You CANNOT learn to draw from second-hand information - especially stylised second hand information . That's someone else's interpretation , and you have to find your own .
All of the How to Draw Manga books are purely circumstancial , and if you ever decide to lean towards a less stylised art more than the big-eye-small-mouth manga as I did , you'll probably find that everything these books ' taught ' you is a complete waste . The books about sexy girls - where even the woman on the cover is entirely disproportionate - will go for nothing .
There is nothing these books can teach you that you couldn't get from going out in the street and drawing it yourself , or getting enrolled in a life drawing class . Maybe it's not as thrilling to draw a portly old lady reclining in a chair for forty minutes , but at least you can guarantee your drawing will improve on things you personally enjoy in your spare time .
This book , even though it talks about fighting , is entirely the same . Go and flip through some action manga - and some action art that isn't stylised . See how it's done in the different ways , find out what you like the most , and combine elements until you have something of your own . Take some photos of you and your mates pulling funny poses and blurry punching motions . Leave it on a long exposure if you want to see the full movement . Buy a freaking karate book with real people pulling all the funny moves . Buy a book on basic human and animal locomotion . There's so many other better options , and you can guarantee that even if your style changes , these books and references will change to accomodate . They'll never stop teaching you lessons .
I think the fact that they have a full section at the end about girls fighting in school outfits should cement my argument . Because , you know , what kind of artist would you be if you couldn't draw knickers and skirts that flare up at the drop of a hat ?
you do not want to get this book . I ordered it for a friend for christmas and I looked over it before I wrapped it . And boy , was I glad I did ! This book has vile , obscene , and had highly unappropriate content . I was hideously disgusted and was so ashamed I picked the book in the first place - I walked to the trash can and put it in . A complete waste of money and I had to go to the store that night to find a last minute replacement book . If you want a book , I would highly recommend the book How to Draw Manga , All The Basics . That was the book I got for my other friend , and it was very impressive . At the risk of sounding redundant , I say : Unless you want to burn money - DON'T BUY THIS BOOK
015 4 hello all
DESPISE ALL THE BAD ADIVCE . This book is NOT VULGER or GROSS . This book is great referance . The Nudity and all graphics are Needed for real life movements and other things . Unless you are going to illastrate a lill baby children books . you don't want it . now if you are serious about manga and anime . you NEED THIS BOOK . well thank you for your time .
